Lake Worth Adjusts Raises For Nonunion City Workers

LAKE WORTH — The Lake Worth City Commission granted nonunion city employees the opportunity to earn a merit pay raise equal to the ones given to electrical or police union members.

The pay package will cost $160,000, City Manager Ken Nipper said.

In other action Monday, the commission voted to close the southern part of Bryant Park an hour earlier each night to prevent rowdy crowds of youths from congregating there after Lake Worth Beach closes.

The park did close at 10 p.m., but under the new law, it will close at 9 p.m., which is when Lake Worth Beach closes.

``I`m very, very upset that we have to close our beach and parks because of a couple of young people in this city,`` said Commissioner George Harrs, who joined the unanimous vote to close the park earlier.

Commissioners considered prohibiting parking after 9 p.m. in the street spaces along the east side of Golfview, the residential street bordering Bryant Park. But they postponed their decision so they can poll neighbors.

In handing out pay raises, the commission gave police and firefighters union members a 0 or 5 percent merit raise, effective on their employment anniversary date since last Oct. 1.

Electrical union members and and all nonunion city workers were given a merit raise of up to 5 percent, effective last Oct. 1.

The city budget had called for merit raises of up to 3 percent.

``It seems proper to grant the same raises to nonbargaining unit employees as the union employees received,`` Nipper said.

In a 3-2 vote, the commission authorized city staff to negotiate the purchase of Atlas Utilities southwest of Lake Worth.

Harrs and Commissioner Ed Shepherd voted against looking into the possible purchase of the water and sanitary sewer system that straddles both sides of Congress Avenue south of Lantana Road.

City taxpayers could lose about $1.2 million by not purchasing the company or keep the money and make another $325,000 by buying it, Utilities Director Claude L`Engle said.

No matter what happens, Lake Worth is obligated by a 1971 contract to provide about $1.2 million worth of sewage capacity to Atlas. That is enough to handle 1,000 three-bedroom, two-bath houses.

Lake Worth has not been able to provide the capacity because it is under a building moratorium imposed by West Palm Beach.

But if Lake Worth buys the system, it could offset the cost of providing the service by collecting hookup fees from developers for each future house built. Part of the hookup fees would go to pay the current owner for the system, and about $325,000 will be left over to deposit in the sewer fund.

In other business, the commission launched an effort to increase fines from $10 to $500 for parking in a spot reserved for handicapped people without the proper sticker.

The ordinance faces final approval on May 20. It was introduced by Shepherd, who said his car bears a handicap sticker.

Commissioners also voted 3-2 to publish an advertisement for a new city attorney willing to work for $40,000 to $50,000 a year.